Solidarité Ethnique Régionale de la Yamaska (SERY) is a Granby based non-profit organization mandated by the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI) to accompany and support new arrivals settling in the regions of Haute-Yamaska and Brome-Missisquoi. 

Established in 1992, SERY partnered up with the MRC of Brome-Missisquoi around four years ago to have a larger, and more visible, presence in the territory. 

As SERY marks its 30th anniversary, Tania Szymanski, community development coordinator for the MRC, and Étienne Marchand, immigration development officer for the organization, talk all things SERY and the services the group provides to those emigrating to the region.

“In Brome-Missisquoi, we’ve always had immigration, but in the last few years we’ve had an influx of immigrants coming into the area. I’d say about three or four years ago, we had a lot of asylum seekers that came to work here. We noticed more and more that we needed a certain amount of support for immigration in the area,” explained Szymanski. 

SERY’s offices are in Granby, but now "they have a foot on the ground here in Brome-Missisquoi in our offices," added Szymanski. 

“Étienne Marchand and Francis Komdza, two employees at the SERY, work in Brome-Missisquoi. Just the fact that we have two people that work directly in Brome-Missisquoi makes it a lot easier to accompany and to help immigrants that are here because not everyone has transportation,” she said. “We have a big MRC and Haute-Yamaska, even though it’s not that far, it’s still far.”

“Granby is the town that receives most of the immigrants in Haute-Yamaska, but in Brome-Missisquoi it’s spread more throughout the region,” noted Marchand. 

Szymanski mentioned that the team is taking on an “outreach philosophy” to help new arrivals settle in their communities.

“It’s not just we wait for everybody to come to us, we go towards those that need help, and we adapt our services in regards to what their needs are also,” she said. 

“What we do when they arrive is that we have a first meeting with the families that come in and we try to find what their needs are. They have needs for healthcare and families with children need to get their kids in school,” explained Marchand. “For whatever needs they may have, we meet them and we have a big team at SERY specializing in all departments. So, we send them to the people that might help them with their services.”

Some of these services include helping with paperwork for the immigration process, getting a medicare card, finding lodging, finding furniture, finding employment, and referrals to other community organizations.

“It’s like a network that starts once they are here to help them out. I think that’s part of the force is that SERY is the main provider of support, but we also have other community organizations,” said Szymanski. “We’ve referred people to food banks if necessary, to other organizations that may be able to supply furniture, and we also have a good partnership with the CLSC for psycho-social help.”

“The main goal for people coming here is to be autonomous and to be able to work around society by themselves,” added Marchand.

While SERY fulfills a need in the region, the Brome-Missisquoi team has faced certain challenges, especially when it comes to finding lodging and daycare services. 

“Sometimes there could be cultural clashes too that need be addressed. It’s not all the time, but there have been cultural clashes. It’s not always easy for people that come here,” noted Szymanski. 

Wanting to ensure a proper integration Szymanski explained that SERY doesn't just want people to just come here to work, but "to work, stay, and live." 

“Immigration is important for Brome-Missisquoi and all of Quebec because we have a workforce shortage. (…) Immigration is a part of the solution. SERY is super important because we want to ensure that the people that come to Brome-Missisquoi adopt Brome-Missisquoi as their second home or eventually it will become their home,” she emphasized. 

“As soon as they can integrate in the population and society, they will also enrich society with their cultural background and whatever they bring from their past,” said Marchand. 

For more information on SERY. 

To contact the MRC for SERY services in Brome-Missisquoi. 

Listen to the full interview below: